Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Louisiana

I booked a reservation with a hotel via the hotel chain website at a discounted rate based on our mutual corporate affiliation. A month later the hotel ended their affiliation with the corporation and went with a new brand name. I still have the confirmation documentation with the original rate. I called the hotel after I found out that they changed corporate affiliation and was told by employees there that the rate I made the reservation for would be honored.

Now I am being told a few weeks before the actual trip that they no longer want to offer the rate and now double it. The whole city is pretty much sold out due to a major event. It is not that the hotel can't honor the rate, it is that they don't want to as they admitted they overbooked and just want more money.

The discounted rate I received was only $50 less per room/per night of the rate they were booking normal rooms at. So it wasn't an obscene discount or misprint error, it is just the hotel trying to make more money now. Also...the rate they are wanting now is 150% of the original regular rate they were quoting for normal customers when I made the reservation. Also, we have already paid money for this vacation for other portions of the trip and only found out this information when I called the hotel again to prepay the room due to knowing how hotels operate in busy seasons with overbooking as I had worked at one for over 8 years.

Where does the law stand on the legality of hotel reservations being considered a contract?

I will admit that this information was from a lower level manager and that the general manager of the hotel was wanting to do this, but still making up their mind about whether they would for sure or not. I won't find out this information for another couple of days, but wanted to know ahead of time for when they do call.

Thank you very much for your time.


Asked on 1/26/11, 3:28 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Adam Lambert The Law Office of Adam S. Lambert

It is a contract and that is exactly what you need to do--read the contract terms and conditions. Go to their website and see what the terms and conditions for reservations are. That is the first place to start.

If you feel you are on solid ground, you can honor the reservation and stay there, or stay somewhere else, then sue the hotel for the amounts you were forced to pay above the quoted price.

Read more
Answered on 1/28/11, 5:54 am


Related Questions & Answers

More General Civil Litigation questions and answers in Louisiana